SUKI, THE VERY LOUD BUNNY

Age Range: 3 - 6

Pub Date: Jan. 20th, 2011ISBN: 978-0-525-42230-3Publisher: Dutton

Suki’s mother works hard to raise a proper, well-behaved bunny that speaks softly and follows the rules. But boisterous Suki likes jumping in mud puddles, trying to fly like a butterfly and playing outside the boundaries of the rabbit burrow. Most of all, Suki likes speaking in a VERY BIG VOICE, denoted in the text with capital letters and in the illustrations with huge letters stretching across the sky. When Suki takes off on a rambling adventure through puddles, in and out of a trap and into a slightly scary woods as the sun is setting, her big voice proves to be an advantage in calling her mother for help in finding her way back home. Suki is an adventurous character with a personality all her own, seamlessly conveyed in both text and art. The illustrations depict her gleeful minor misbehavior and shifting emotions with excellent variety in perspective and setting, and the text is thoughtfully integrated into the art, sometimes in white text against dark backgrounds. As the dramatic tension increases when Suki wanders, lost, at sunset, the backgrounds subtly shift to warm oranges and glowing reds, highlighting the satisfying reunion of mother and child. It's nice to see a book in which a girl finds that having her own powerful voice is a positive and valuable trait. (Picture book. 3-6)